●Peter Coombs●
May 10, 2012 ●BlogSales●Comments Off on The 4 Secrets of Building Rapport Quickly with a Prospect

Think about your sales call from the prospect’s point of view. They don’t know you well and so they are guarded. Help them feel comfortable with you as a person before discussing what you sell.

Here are some suggestions to help you:

Use humor. But not just any humor. Forget jokes, most of us are terrible joke-tellers. Leave joke-telling to the professionals. Instead, show that you have a warm and friendly sense of humor. The goal is to make the prospect smile and be open to you.

Be friendly. Ask great open-ended questions about them. One example: “I’m always curious about career paths. Tell me how you got into this business.” Open questions are much less threatening than closed questions. A closed question is one that is answered with yes or no. Or with one word that ends the conversation. Open-ended questions also give the prospect the chance to talk about themselves and their business. Nod, listen and take notes. There are gems hidden in these answers.

Be nice. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Treat the other person with respect. Don’t interrupt them, let them finish their thought. Build on what they say.

Be a good communicator. Ask clarifying questions to better understand what the prospect is saying. Maintain eye-contact and good posture. Your words, tone of voice and facial expression should all be saying “I’m interested in you and what you’re saying.”

BONUS! Next steps. Now that you have established rapport, you will gently exert some control by stating the agenda: “Today, I thought we would talk about your needs for next year.” Many prospects are expecting you to control the sales call. They don’t want it to be their responsibility.